


Reality of the Dreamer

by Im_The_Doctor (Bofur1)



Category: Fran Bow (Video Game), Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ambiguous/Open Ending, Babybones (Undertale), But we all know it's fine, Concerned Sans, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Drawing, Friendship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Imaginary Friends, Implied/Referenced Bullying, Itward sounds like a creep without any context, Loyalty, Memories, Sans is just weirded out
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-04 22:00:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25013581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bofur1/pseuds/Im_The_Doctor
Summary: Papyrus finally tells Sans about the imaginary friend who slips in through his window at night. Needless to say, Sans is a little concerned.
Relationships: Papyrus & Sans (Undertale), Papyrus (Undertale) & Itward (Fran Bow)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	Reality of the Dreamer

Papyrus spoke sometimes of an imaginary friend. It wasn’t unusual for kids his age and certainly not for kids equipped with his imagination, but the level of detail Papyrus used to describe him was startling. It was far beyond whatever imaginary friends Sans had when he was a baby bones; these days he couldn't even remember how he had pictured them.

As with most other things, the little guy was different.

“He is a skeleton like us, brother!” Papyrus enthused as he scribbled across the sheet of coloring paper he had taken from school. “Almost as tall as King Asgore—Even his hat is tall!”

“Wow. If he’s as big as a Boss monster,” Sans quipped slyly as he mimed a hat on his own head, “is he _brim_ -ming with confidence?”

“Ugh, stop it! I’ll have you know that he is very impressive and cool and doesn’t deserve to be the butt of your jokes! He’s nice to me!” The brown crayon clutched tightly in his fist wavered slightly. “Much nicer than others, sometimes. The other kids at school say really mean things about him, even when he’s standing right there next to me. ‘You’re crazy. You’re stupid for believing in him. He can’t be your friend. He’s not real if we can’t see him and nobody would want to be your friend anyway.’ It’s so rude! I hope he doesn’t listen to them.”

Sans’ smile waned as he went on. Of course, of _course_ Papyrus was more worried about an imaginary friend’s feelings than his own. Despite the bitter, sharp sadness squeezing his ribcage, his expression made a smooth recovery before Papyrus glanced up at him. “Don’t worry, Pap. If he’s got a friend as cool as you, I’m sure he knows better.”

Confidence renewed, Papyrus tossed aside the brown crayon and took up the yellow. “I hope so! Still, I should ask him tonight just in case he needs my expert comforting.”

“Tonight?”

“Yes, when he comes climbing through the window to read my bedtime story!”

“Excuse me?” That phrasing was decidedly not what he was expecting nor was it reassuring. Sans chuckled uncertainly, leaning forward to set his elbows on his knees. “Have I been tucking in the wrong baby brother for the last eight years? Aren’t I the one who reads Fluffy Bunny to you every night?”

“Oh, you are! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you think that your bedtime stories aren’t enough, Sans! I just meant that…well, sometimes I can’t sleep even after Fluffy Bunny. And sometimes I have weird or scary dreams. When I do, he comes and tells me other stories to help me feel better. That way I don’t have to wake you up for something so silly.”

“That’s…That’s not silly. You know you can always come and get me if you need me, right? Doesn’t matter what time it is. I’m always here.” _If?_ If _you need me? No, I am definitely not worried, creeped out or defensive because of an imaginary friend right now_.

“Yes, I know. Thank you.” With that said, Papyrus made his last stroke on the paper and scrambled up. “Look, see? Here he is! My one and only friend!”

Sans accepted the paper cautiously. Pap’s drawings weren’t going to win any school awards but this one was easy enough to make out: a lanky skeleton ~~Not Gaster, thank the stars~~ in a top hat and suit, baring a razor-sharp smile and vivid, glowing yellow eyes. Those eyes reminded him of the cat monsters he encountered only infrequently.

“Classy.”

“Do you think he’ll like it?” his brother piped up eagerly, jumping on the balls of his feet. “We can tape it to my windowpane so it’s the first thing he sees when he visits. It’ll be a great surprise!”

“A _super-ise_ , you mean?” He handed the paper back before Papyrus could glare and snatch it from him, though he still wasn’t finished etching it into his memory. “It’s awesome, bro. He’d be lucky to have it.”

“Nyeheh, he _will_ be!”

“Don’t forget to put his name on it so he knows it’s for him.”

“Oh, yes! How could I forget?” The red crayon was hurriedly rescued from the floor and pressed into Sans’ palm. “Could you write it out for me? Write the letters big enough that he can see from far away!”

“Sure, bud. How’s it spelled?”

“His name is Itward.”

“Itward? That’s new. You didn’t name him after a font?”

“Well, of course not, since _I_ didn’t name him! When we met, he told me his name all on his own. ‘Itward the wanderer, creature of the night, not quite darkness and not quite light!’” Giggling at the rhyme, he leaned on Sans’ side, overseeing as he wrote. “—Ward with an ‘a’, Sans, not an ‘o’! And stop being so sloppy! I want it really straight and neat! Oh, and don’t forget to put my name on it too so he knows who made it!”

“Right, sorry. _To Itward_ … _From Papyrus_.”

“Hmm. You could have said ‘ _the great_ Papyrus’, but I guess that will do! Thank you, brother! Now I need the tape!” Papyrus announced, bolting for the kitchen drawer and then back across the living room toward the stairs.

“Hey, Pap?”

Stumbling, he caught himself on the stair rail to look back. “Yes?”

“I’d like to meet your pal for myself sometime, get to know him a little better. You think you could arrange that with him…if he comes?”

Papyrus’ eye sockets lit up, his voice even brighter. “Oh, of course! Maybe I can share him with you; he’ll be a friend for us both! I’m sure he wouldn’t mind reassuring you after scary dreams too.”

As his brother clambered upstairs, Sans leaned back into the couch cushions, eyes slowly perusing the empty room around him. His request couldn’t hurt, right? Best case scenario, Papyrus would come to him and they would play a game where Sans talked to the air where this Itward guy was _imagined_ to be, and they all had a fun playdate together.

Worst case scenario? Sans wasn’t sure what that would entail. He wasn’t sure he wanted to find out either, but from the information he had, it seemed his little brother was cozying up to an amoral, saw-toothed entity at night. That idea didn’t sit well.

Why not get a head start, talk to the air now and risk looking a little stupid? If it meant dodging any whiff of a situation that could put Pap in danger, starting a one-sided conversation with the silence was a small price to pay.

It probably wouldn’t even amount to anything.

“Hey, uh. Itward.” His voice was soft. “If you’re real and you’re listening somehow…stay cool. Stay kind to him. He’s had enough of people acting like his friends until they get the chance to hurt him—and I’ve had enough of that too.”

The front shutters rattled abruptly, making him jump as wind whispered and whistled past the crevices in the walls.

“ _No reason to fear! I’m not made out of darkness, nor is your sweet brother. He shines more light than any nightfall could snuff out_.”

Well. Surprise. A valuable life lesson: Don't doubt Papyrus' senses. Sans inhaled slowly and kept his tone flat, neutral, unperturbed. “So what’s a ‘creature of the night’ like yourself want with him?”

“ _The same that Papyrus wants from me, of course! A friend who believes in him. His belief is a wondrous, curious thing, something to be tended to and cared for_.”

“Yeah, I know. That’s what I love most about him. But you’re thinking that I’m not the right guy to tend it?”

“ _Oh, Sans. Sharp, smart, savvy Sans, it’s no offense to you—but despite a rare promise,_ you _forgot all about me when you grew up! You forgot my name, my face, all of my undertales, and I forgive you for it! I’m just repeating them to someone who will believe for good and find them more of a comfort_.”

Sans’ eyelights blinked out. The wind fell quiet.

**Author's Note:**

> I've seen a few art pieces for an Undertale/Fran Bow crossover and fell in love with the idea. Itward is an honorary member of the skelefamily if I have anything to say about it!
> 
> Edit: See [here](https://septic-dr-schneep.tumblr.com/image/622694339778330624) and [here](https://64.media.tumblr.com/e20a592be0e585fdcaaccdc80f051a3d/689886c66d3d67aa-9e/s1280x1920/77249a4477985d0e0a2c461db2171f49e5aeb0db.png) for art pieces I made myself to supplement the story! (Fun fact: that second one injured my hand for two months. Worth it? :'D)


End file.
